Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935)

Director:

Stuart Walker

Writers:

Leopold Atlas (writer)
John L. Balderston (writer)

Release Date:

4 February 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

Plot:

A madman strangles his rivals for a beautiful girl. |

Plot Keywords:

Guardian | Schoolteacher | Murder Investigation | Criminal | Christmas

Cast

Claude Rains	...	John Jasper
Douglass Montgomery	...	Neville Landless
Heather Angel	...	Rosa Bud
Valerie Hobson	...	Helena Landless
David Manners	...	Edwin Drood
Francis L. Sullivan	...	Mr. Septimus Crisparkle
Zeffie Tilbury	...	The Opium Woman
Ethel Griffies	...	Miss Twinkleton
E.E. Clive	...	Mayor Thomas Sapsea
Walter Kingsford	...	Hiram Grewgious
Forrester Harvey	...	Durdles
Veda Buckland	...	Mrs. Tope
Elsa Buchanan	...	Mrs. Tisher
George Ernest	...	Deputy
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Chief Verger Tope

Also Known As:

Charles Dickens' 'Mystery of Edwin Drood' (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Lavishly produced by Universal at a time, in retrospect, could least afford it. The studio was not yet aware of the failure of their most recent Dickens' adaption, Great Expectations (1934) and due to Carl Laemmle's financial excesses and asleep-at-the-wheel managerial style, Universal was rapidly sinking into a financial debacle. This film, like so many of Universal's of this period, flopped.

Movie Connections:

Version of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" (1960)

A Bit Caustic, but Memorable

John Jasper is a respectable choir master on the upper level, but beneath lurks a madman, an opium-addicted man of intrigue and deception with a deadly fascination for a young girl, Rosa Bud, who is engaged to his nephew, Edwin Drood. The marriage has been arranged from the crib, and neither Rosa nor Edwin (who is fondly called "Ned") are particularly fond of the idea, having resolved themselves to wed someday, simply because they must. Rosa is a young learner of music, and is fearful of her instructor -- John Jasper -- while her fiancé mere laughs off her uncertainty.

However, a wrench is thrown into the works when charming foreigner Neville and his lovely sister come to town, and the former immediately falls passionately in love with Rosa. Ned is flippant of his opinion of his would-be-wife, and Jasper just barely saves his nephew from Neville's violent temper, which manifests in the foreigner nearly taking a knife to them both. Having been sent away from his hometown for just such an act (and in fact, murdering his stepfather), Neville must watch his steps, and avoid Ned and Rosa at all costs, lest his anger again surface.

About this time, it is discovered that their betrothal hinges only on their personal desire to love one another, resulting in the breaking of the engagement. But Rosa and Ned decide to keep it to themselves for the present... a mistake that cannot be altered when Ned disappears, and his murder is blamed on young Neville, who was the last to see him. Jasper begins an all-out manhunt for the killer when Neville flees for his own safety, and will stop at nothing to have what he wants. In the meantime, Rosa is terrified of her music teacher, and what dangers he may impress upon her, even resorting to blackmail to gain her hand in marriage. But a mysterious stranger has come to town and is slowly unraveling the truth to "The Mystery of Edwin Drood."

This screen adaptation makes up an ending to the famous Dickens novel which was never finished... leaving scholars and fans alike pondering the mystery that would never be solved... until now, The sad thing about this old "horror" picture is the fact that you can guess "whodunit" within the first twenty minutes. But gauging it against the other productions of the era, it's really quite good. The acting is first-rate, and the costuming is beautiful -- if only it were in color! The characters are all engaging, and the film has enough suspense to engage even the most action-loving viewer.